A BAD RAP

Diversity challenges are nothing new, but in the United States more than forty years of initiatives designed to foster and promote diversity have failed to eliminate prejudice and discrimination in the workplace. What's not working? Why haven't more organizations been able to implement successful diversity initiatives?

Part of the reason is that failed initiatives and the controversial history of diversity training—some programs have taken highly confrontational approaches—have caused diversity to become a loaded word. It has become associated with laws and formal policies and programs—none of which are the most effective ways to win people's hearts and minds. Many people have become frustrated and jaded with diversity initiatives. ...

Get Leadership in Action: Comfort Zone: How to Win Buy-In for Diversity Programs now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.